Allied Technologies (Altech) has appointed James Rutherfoord to take over from Stephen Blewett as MD of its mobile business, Autopage Cellular.
After six-and-a-half years at Altech, Blewett has resigned to “pursue new opportunities outside of the Altech Group”.
Rutherfoord joined Altech as group executive for telecoms in May. He will maintain that role in the group, as well as take on the responsibilities as Autopage's MD. “I am delighted at the opportunity to take up such a key role in the Altech Group, leading SA's largest independent mobile service provider in an increasingly converging telecoms market. Our focus will be to cement Autopage's position as the service provider of choice,” he says.
According to a statement released by the company, Rutherfoord is a veteran in telecoms, having been formerly employed in several key positions at African mobile giant MTN. He worked both locally and in the company's Nigerian operation.
Rutherfoord holds a BComm in investment science from University of Johannesburg and an MBA from Bond University, in Australia.
Altech CEO Craig Venter thanked Blewett for his years of loyalty and dedication to the group, and wished him success for his future endeavours.
Autopage was one of the company's stronger performers in this year's results set. The company sports one million connections in its subscriber base, up from 917 000 last year.
Rutherfoord will have big shoes to fill, as the industry is closely watching Altech's next moves in the telecoms market.
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